Football

Football Players of the Week: Timmis runs his way to offensive player of the week honour

Sep 14, 2015

Evan Daum, Canada West Communications

After becoming the Calgary Dinos’ all-time touchdown leader Week 1, running back Mercer Timmis added three more TDs and 276 yards Week 2 to claim Canada West offensive player of the week honours.

Along with Timmis, UBC safety Taylor Loffler and Manitoba return man Jamel Lyles took home the conference’s Week 2 defensive and special teams awards respectively.

OFFENCE - Mercer Timmis

Calgary Dinos

Running back

6-1, 220, 4th year

Burlington, ON

It was the Mercer Timmis show Friday night in Winnipeg, as the veteran running back led the No. 2 Calgary Dinos to an exciting 46-38 victory over the No. 6 Manitoba Bisons at Investors Group Field in the only CIS top 10 matchup of the week.

Timmis racked up a CIS season high 276 yards rushing, and a trio of touchdowns in the win, as he stretched his CIS leading rushing total to 426 yards – better than half his total from last season, when he led the conference in rushing. With five rushing touchdowns on the season, Timmis sits tied for second in the nation, behind only Guelph’s Johnny Augustine’s total of six.

Timmis, the 2013 Canada West MVP, averaged better than 10 yards on 27 carries, including a 79-yard TD in the third quarter when he shot through the front seven and turned on the afterburners, ending up virtually untouched in the end zone. The play was the fifth-longest run in Calgary history.

DEFENCE – Taylor Loffler

UBC Thunderbirds

Safety

6-3, 220, 2nd year

Kelowna, BC

Taylor Loffler was one of the heroes for the UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday, as his game-saving interception in the final minute preserved a 27-20 victory over the Regina Rams in front of 6,950 homecoming fans at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver.

Loffler, who was one of UBC head coach Blake Nill’s biggest offseason recruits after transferring from Boise State, picked off Regina QB Taylor Vieira’s would-be touchdown pass with less than a minute left to preserve UBC’s lead after the Rams marched the ball to the Thunderbird 18-yard line.

Along with his late game heroics, Loffler added 11 tackles for the T-Birds, running his season total to 21.5, which is good for fifth in the country and tops in Canada West after two weeks.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Jamel Lyles

Returner

6-0, 205, 1st year

Surrey, BC

For the second consecutive week, Manitoba Bisons running back and return man Jamel Lyles is a Canada West football player of the week.

After capturing both the Canada West and CIS offensive player of the week awards to open the season, the rookie had another stellar outing Week 2, taking the opening kickoff of Friday night’s tilt against Calgary 107 yards for a touchdown.

That lightning-fast TD set a new Bison record for longest kickoff return, and is tied for the third longest in Canada West history.

In total, Lyles racked up a game total of 314 all-purpose yards, with 82 rushing yards, and a total of 232 return yards. Lyles’ 563 all-purpose yards on the season is the most in CIS, ahead of only Timmis’ total of 426 yards.